Wildflower Center plant sale

Wildflower Wow

Wildflowers along our highways and byways were few and far between this year thanks to the drought.

But one little plant seems to have taken off outside of my garden.

Thanks to a some dribbles of water coming from the cutting garden bed on the other side of the fence, this wildflower has exploded into bloom in the easement beyond our property. (Like my Wisteria vine, it seems to enjoy playing hide and seek with me.)

After some research, I believe I’ve identified it as Coreopsis tripteris, or Tall coreopsis/Tall tickseed.

In any case, it’s fabulous.

I know some of those seeds are going to find their way into my hands and then into an open area (more visible!) with some fresh soil and periodic gentle hand watering this fall.

This beautiful show of color is well worth a little starting TLC to help it along.

And here it is, sneaking through the spaces in the fence to show off to the other blooms in the cutting garden.

Although it’s a little sparse because of the drought, the cutting garden has perked up in the last few weeks thanks to cooler night temperatures and our recent restorative rain.

Speaking of wildflowers, today begins the amazing Fall Plant Sale at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. Here’s the basic information from the Wildflower Center — you can find more at their website.

Plant Sale — Friday, Saturday and Sunday, October 14 – 16.

Did the hottest, driest summer in Austin’s recorded history leave you looking for new garden solutions? We can help! At the Wildflower Center’s Fall Plant Sale and Gardening Festival you can choose from nearly 300 species of hardy Texas natives bred to deal with our Central Texas climate. Feel free to leave your plant purchases at the Holding Area while you finish enjoying your visit, or up until the Plant Sale closes Sunday at 5 p.m.

Admission: $8 adults, $7 seniors and students, $4 UT faculty, staff or students with identification, $3 children 5 through 12, members and children under 5 free.

  • If possible, bring your own wagon to haul your purchases
  • Plants may be purchased and held for pick-up
  • Recycle your reusable 4-inch and one gallon plastic pots, collection bin available at the front entrance.
  • Free cold filtered water, just bring your reusable water bottle, or buy one in the store.

Members Only Sale: Friday, October 14, 1 to 7 p.m. Friday’s sale is exclusively for members of the Wildflower Center. Become a member online or at the preview sale.


The other things spring brought with her…

Be careful what you wish for!

We’ve all been whining (well, I have been whining!) about the long, cold winter (don’t laugh if you live north of Dallas) and pining for our Central Texas Spring.

Pandora’s box is officially open.

Spring is here, in all her glory. But she brought some friends…

* Weeds and more weeds
* Pollen and even more pollen
* Caterpillars eating the Mountain Laurel trees
* Grasshoppers eating the brand new Diamond Frost Euphorbia
* oh, did I mention WEEDS?

Oh, I’m not complaining — really. I just have a mile-long gardening to-do list like everyone else. Let’s see…I have 34 plants to put into the ground. (The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center sale was the perfect place to buy 4 inch pots of hard-to-find native plants.) They jumped into my wagon until it was overflowing.

I also got two Hinkley’s columbine baby passalongs from my Dad.


And two pretty passalong Salvias from Lori at The Gardener of Good and Evil.
I have weeds to pull everywhere…literally, everywhere. They seem to love our spring as much as the pretty plants do.

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